


6. Lunchbox

by love_write_edit_sleep



Series: Child's Play (DBH 31 Fic Challenge) [6]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid!RK900, M/M, Nightmares, Some backstory ;)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 10:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15683568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_write_edit_sleep/pseuds/love_write_edit_sleep
Summary: Gavin has a little fun with his kid-boyfriend’s lunchbox. Richard’s reaction is somewhat unexpected.





	6. Lunchbox

“No…”

“I know, buddy, I didn’t wanna get up either… but fucking Fowler’s called me in.”

“But I’m tiwed…” Richard rested his head against Gavin’s shoulder and clutched Kadie close as Gavin carried him on his hip into the kitchen.

“I know, you can sleep or whatever. I made us lunch, so we’re not gonna starve, and theres a bag of toys and books and shit by the door to keep you busy. And Connor’s gonna be there today.”

“But he’s with Hank.”

“Not today. Matthew kicked him out the hospital, told him to go look after himself.”

“But if he’s at work then he’s not looking after himself.” Richard thought for a moment. “We gotta look after him.”

“Yeah, we do. Right, are you going in your goddamn pyjamas or are we gonna get dressed?”

* * *

“Hi, Con-Con!” Richard beamed, leaving Gavin’s side to run up to his brother. Connor smiled and pulled him onto his lap.

“Hi, Richard. Wow, you look like Gavin!”

“Yeah, I wanted to match Gabin today.” Richard beamed proudly, shoving his hands on his leather hoodie pockets and scowled. “Phck!”

Everyone in the precinct stopped and laughed.

“Richard!” Gavin blushed, looking around.

“What? You say it!”

“Doesn’t mean _you_ can say it!” He cried, pulling him up from Connor’s lap. “Say bye to Connor.”

“Bye!”

“Bye.” Connor forced a smile before returning to his terminal, watching as Gavin carried the child to his own desk.

* * *

“Look, Gabin!” Gavin jumped as Richard leaned over their desks and slammed a drawing down in front of him. Gavin looked at it.

“The fuck is it?”

“It’s Con-Con and Hank saving the andwoids!” Richard beamed. If Richard squinted, then the blobs sorta looked like androids… “See? And there’s Maffew! Con-Con’s howding his hand!”

“What, you think Connor won the revolution by holding hands with his boyfriend? Pfft, whatever.”

“He did! Maffew told me so!” Richard argued, taking his drawing back and adding to it. “He said Con-Con took his hand and twansfewwed the debiancy into him and woke him up. And, Maffew said Con-Con was the fiwst thing he saw when he woke up and hopes that one day he’ll always wake up to see him.”

“That’s…” _a_ _dorable._ “Gross.”

“What does he mean?” Richard asked, concentrating on his drawing.

“He means he wants to marry Con-Con.” Gavin realised too late that he’d let Richard’s nickname for Connor slip off his tongue. Richard didn’t seem to notice.

“Oh.” Richard thought for a moment. “Do you wanna get mawwied?”

“Maybe.” Gavin shrugged. “Do you?”

“Maybe. Depends who I’m mawwying.”

“Oh.” _Ouch._

“I’d only mawwy someone I like.”

“Yeah, I think that’s the point.” Gavin forced a laugh.

“I only like 4 people and a cat, and I can’t mawwy a cat, and if Con-Con and Maffew are getting mawwied, then… That leaves you and Hank.”

“Hank’s a lucky man.” Gavin snorted.

“No!” Richard cried. “Hank’s my Dad.”

“Well, that just leaves me.” Gavin winked. Richard thought for a moment.

“You’ll have to do, I suppose…”

“Hey!” Gavin chuckled, then he noticed the newest feature in Richard’s drawing. “Hey, what you drawing? Can I see?”

“Okay.” Richard sat back, watching Gavin spin the drawing around so he could see it.

“Is that you?”

“Yup. I’m in the testing woom.” Richard smiled, but it looked wrong to Gavin.

“You… you don’t look happy to be in there.” Gavin whispered, pointing to the drawing, at where Richard had drawn a frown. Richard took the drawing back, his LED flickering red.

“I was still a machine, I didn’t feel anything.” He muttered, suddenly screwing up the drawing and throwing it in the bin. “I need the toilet.”

“Okay…” Gavin whispered. “You okay? Your LED-”

“It’s red bebause I need the toilet.”

“Oh, okay…” Gavin gave in, letting the child run across the bullpens to the staff toilets.

Gavin reached down and pulled the drawing out the bin, stuffing it in his pocket.

* * *

They sat in silence after that, apart from the occasional chatter when an officer wanted to coo at Richard.

Richard had gotten bored of drawing and started tapping tunes on the desk with his fingers. Gavin tried to ignore it, but there was only so much he could take.

“Richard… Um… There’s a load of stuff in the bag, you know?”

“I don’t like any of it.”

“You haven’t even looked in there.”

“I did.”

“Okay then, have you looked in the front pocket?”

“No.” Richard looked at Gavin sceptically before rummaging through the bag. Then he gasped, pulling whatever it was out for Gavin to see. “Your powtable handhewld consowle!”

“It’s called a DS, dumbass.” Gavin chuckled. “If you wanna be technical: A dual-screen.”

“But it’s yours.” Richard’s LED flickered yellow.

“I trust you.”

“But what if I bweak it?”

“I can buy a new one online for, like, $20.”

“But it’s fwom your Mum… She gave it to you befowe she died…”

“Yeah, well… Mum always nagged me about sharing so… Sharing is caring, I guess.”

“I’ll look after it.”

“I know.” Gavin smiled. “There’s a game in there that you might like. Thought of you when I packed it.”

“Bwain twaining?”

“That’s the one.”

* * *

Gavin didn’t hear a peep out the kid for the next hour, which… he did feel bad about. His own Father had used to shove him in front of the TV to shut him up. While Richard seemed to be enjoying himself, he knew he shouldn’t let play with it for too long.

“Richie, let’s take a break from that, okay?”

“But-”

“Just let your eyes rest from staring at the screen.”

“Okay…” Richard closed the DS and pushed it away. Gavin glanced at the clock.

_12.32PM_

“You want some lunch?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Awesome. Let’s go sit in the breakroom, okay?”

“Okay.”

Thankfully for Gavin, there was no-one else in the break room. Richard was far too popular right now.

“Here, I made some stuff for you.” Gavin pushed a paper bag over, which Richard accepted. Gavin was just about to tuck into his own lunch when he looked up, freezing in shock at the look on Richard’s face; stoic and judgemental. “Richie? You okay?”

“My sandwiches look like cats.” Richard stated.

“Um, yeah… I-I thought-”

“You thought wong.” Richard muttered, climbing down from the table.

“Hey, wh-where you going?”

“To see Con-Con.” Richard scowled as he walked away.

“Oh… Okay.” Gavin sighed, putting his and Richard’s lunches away before heading out to his bullpen to keep an eye on Richard.

* * *

“Con-Con?”

“Hi, Richard.” Connor smiled, pulling Richard onto his lap. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, but Gavin’s being annoying again.”

“Oh? How so?” Connor asked, glancing up at where Gavin had just slumped himself in his seat, head in his hands.

“He cut my sandwiches into cat shapes.”

“That’s sweet of him.”

“But I got upset, and I don’t know why.” Richard whispered. “I got weally angwy and yelled at him.”

“Maybe you’re just tired. People do strange things when they’re tired that they can’t explain. Or maybe you still don’t want to accept the YK500 programming… Gavin treating you like a child might have triggered that you aren’t a child, but are being forced to behave like one.”

“Maybe… I feel bad…”

“Talk to him, tell him how you feel if you want, or apologise.” Connor smiled kindly. “He’s probably tired too… He’ll understand.”

“Okay… T’ank you, Con-Con.” Richard smiled and clambered down from Connor’s desk, waddling over to Gavin’s. He pulled on Gavin’s trousers.

“Hey, you okay?” Gavin asked.

“I’m sowwy fow yelling…” Richard whispered, twiddling his fingers. “I'm just tiwed and I’m not used to being a child yet…”

“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have assumed… Just kinda wished my Dad had done stuff like that, you know? Doesn’t mean you want the same thing…” Gavin trailed off. Richard watched him sadly.

“Sharing is caring.” Richard whispered. “Do you wanna share a cat sandwich?”

Gavin smiled.

“Sure.”

* * *

The rest of the day went quickly. Richard drew a picture for Connor to take to Hank, and had drawn a picture for himself that he hadn’t let anyone see.

The journey home was uneventful, as was the evening.

Eventually, Richard put himself to bed, hugging Kadie to his chest as he drifted off.

Gavin wasn’t so lucky. He lay in the spare room bed, body trembling as he tossed and turned, whimpering pathetically in his sleep.

“No… No, D-Dad… Stop…”

* * *

_“Good evening, Hank. I know… I shouldn’t have gone to work today… I thought if I did, maybe you’d sense it and wake up to yell at me. I’ll try and eat some blue blood next time. You always find a way to yell at me for that._

_Richard drew you a picture today. I put it on your bedside, next to Matthew’s flowers. I think it’s you and him holding hands. They could be pineapples, but I don’t think pineapples have arms._

_I think Gavin’s pushing himself too hard… I’m going to offer to help tomorrow. It must be hard for him, looking after a child after what his own Father did to him. Hopefully, it’ll give Gavin some confidence in himself, but I don’t know…_

_I really miss you, Hank… Please come back…”_


End file.
